Method of making journal-box lids



L. W. HOSTETTLER.

METHOD or MAKING JOURNAL BOX uos.

APPLICATION FILED MN. 27. I921.

Patented Aug. 8, 1922.

3 awn/r 1?" UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEIGH W. HOSTETTLER, OF TABENTUM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ALLEGHENY STEEL COMPANY, OF BRACKENRIDGE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

IZETKOD OF MAKING J'OUBIIAL-BOX LIDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1922.

Application filed January 27, 1921. Serial No. 440,347.

To all whom. it may concern..-

Be it known that I, LEIGH. W. Hos'rn'rrmn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tarentum, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Methods of Making JournaLBox Lids, of which the following is a sfiecification.

y invention relates to car wheel journal boxesand consists in an improved journal box lid.

As is well known by those familiar with the art, the function of a journal box lid.is to tightly close the open side of the journal box to exclude dust, rain and other extraneous matter from its interior. It is neces sary that the lid may be opened easily and quickly for inspection, lubrication or repacking of the box. The standard type of journal box is provided with a lid hmged there to and it is obvious that in quantity production any variation from the exact size of the hinge pin eye or hole will either prevent insertion of the pin or allow lid on the box. Again, any variation from the exact location of the axis of the eye relative to the body of the lid will affect the tightness of the joint between the lid and box. Such variations are readily overcome by construction involving machining operations on the lid or box, or both, which materially increase their cost but, as journal boxes are used in large quantities by rail roads, it is imperative that they be constructed at as low a cost as is possible without impairing their usefulness.

The object of my invention is to provide a lid with an eye of exact diameter accurately located with resp ct to the body of the lid and at a low cost.

My invention is especially adapted for lids stamped from sheet metal, although not limited in its application to such lids, and, in the accompanying drawing, I illustrate a pressed or stamped steel lid, Figure 1 being a front elevation of same and Fig. 2 a section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

The body 1 of the lid is stifi'ened by corrugations or bosses 2 and by a perimetric flange 3 which also forms a rigid edge for contact with the box walls about its open loose play of the side. A spring 4 is secured by a rivet 5 and a strap 6 and is adapted to engage a suitable box element so as to exert a thrust on the lid which tends to close the same.

In forming the lid blank, two extending ears are provided which are bent to form cylindrical eyes '7, as shown in Fi 2, with their outer edges 8 terminating at jacent to the under face of the lid body 1. Short sections 9 of commercial seamless steel tubing is pressed into and securely maintained within the eyes 8 by frictional contact therewith, the inside diameter of the eyes being formed slightly less than the outside diameter of the tubes 9, An accurate bearing surface for'the hinge pin is thus economically provided; that not only eliminates) machining but which effectually prevents lost motion or play between the various parts.

I prefer to weld the edge 8 of the eye 7 to the adjacent face of the lid body after the tubes 9 have been disposed in position therein, thereby reinforcing the eye 7 and securely fixing the position of the bushing axis relative to the lid body. In carryingl out this operation, a suitable jig may be use for positioning the eye and the body. The eye 7 may be further stiffened by the formation of bosses or ribs 10 as shown. While uniting edge 8 to the body surface it is desirable to also weld the adjacent portion of bushing 9 to the lid and eye.

The above described construction eliminates drilling and reaming of binge pin eyes through east or drop forged ears and the riveting of separately formed ears onto a lid body of pressed steel. At the same time, I secure the advantages attained by such manufacture as the double thickness of metal of the eye makes the latter as strong as the more expensivecast metal eye. In bending the ear in the usual manner to form the pin eye it is practically impossible to obtain a true circle or to limit its diameter within of an inch.

By my improved construction, I overcome this ditiiculty and produce a lid at approximately one half the cost of other lids of equal accuracy.

In application Serial No. 547,707, filed by me on March 29, 1922, I have illustrated, described and claimed the spring securing means disclosed herein.

Having described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I claim:

L The method of constructing a journal boa: lid with a hinge pin eye of accurate diameter which includes, bending .a portion ofthe body of said lid into an eye of sub stantially circular formation, distorting a -portion of said lid adjacent to said body portion and said eye to provide a reinforcmg web, and inserting a piece of commercially produced tubing within said eye.

2. The method of constructing a journal box lid with a hinge pin eye of exact diameter and accurately positioned respective to the body 'of'the lid, which consists in bending a pdrtion of the body of the lid into a circle with an edge of said portion adjacent a face of the body, inserting therein a length of commercially produced tubing, and welding, said edge to the adjacent body face.

3. The'method of constructing a journal box lid having a hinge pin eye of exact predetermined inside diameter and accurately positioned with resp ct to the body of said 1d. which consists in bending a portion of said body into substantially cylindrical form to provide a hinge pin eye having an edge thereof disposed adjacent to a face of said body, pressing a section of commercial tubing, of the desired inside diameter, into said eye, the outside diameter of said tubing being greater than the inside diameter of said eye and welding the edge of said eye to the adjacent body face and to said tubing.

4. The method of constructing a journal box lid which comprises bending a portion of the body of the lid into an eye of substantially circular formation and distorting said lid to provide a reinforcing rib conmeeting said eye with said body portion and extending in a direction transverse to the axis of said eye.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 24th day of January, 1921.-

' LEIGH W. HOSTETTLER. Witnesses:

R. D. CAMPBELL. JAMES O. CARR. 

